ACES Scholarly Event: VANG: A Drama about Recent Immigration Farmers

Poet Laureate of Iowa, Mary Swander, Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Dennis Chamberlin, and ACT Kennedy Center award-winner Matt Foss collaborate to create a drama called Vang (meaning "garden" or "farm" in Hmong). Swander and Chamberlin document recent Iowa immigrant farmers, then Swander wind their words together to form a verbatim play that captures the immigrants' journeys to the States. Hmong, Mexican, Sudanese, and Dutch immigrants all speak of their struggles, survival skills, and their intense desire to return to the land. Chamberlin took stunning photos of the immigrants in their greenhouses, farms, and dairy barns. Foss added his theatrical brilliance to the production, bringing Vang to life on the stage.